The Cowardly Baby Saint Sees Ghosts - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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# Episode 15.
“……So that’s what they’re saying?”
A saint, they call her.
After receiving the report, eyes of crimson—proof of Imperial bloodline—flashed with a cutting chill. Black hair cascading to her waist swayed gently.
The woman, chin resting on her hand in thought, murmured aloud.
“Did it actually work?”
“Yes, it did.”
“What the Pope himself could not accomplish, this child managed it.”
Gaitel Bellium.
The First Princess, handling Imperial affairs in place of the Crown Prince, whose condition had deteriorated.
‘Possessing flawless qualities—cruelty included—despite being only thirteen.’
An unfortunate princess, barred by her very birth from ever becoming Empress.
Composure ill-suited to her tender years somehow made those around her hold their breath.
Shadow and Blade, her attendants, gazed up at their sovereign with uncertain eyes.
“Assign personnel. Gather all available intelligence.”
“Yes.”
“My brother?”
“He is recovering.”
Gaitel’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Recovering.”
She rolled the word over in her mouth, as if testing its weight.
“No.”
Her finger flicked sharply against the report on the desk, pressing it down as though drawing a conclusion.
“I’ll verify it myself.”
“What do you mean, Your Highness?”
Blade, who had inadvertently asked the question, closed her mouth.
Under ordinary circumstances, she would certainly have been rebuked, but Gaitel appeared lost in thought about something else.
“I need to see whether she truly is the daughter of God.”
Blade’s breath trembled ever so slightly.
Gaitel raised her head. A sharp frost gleamed in her crimson eyes.
“And.”
Her lips scarcely moved, yet her voice emerged clear and precise.
“I cannot leave my brother in their hands any longer.”
Because drinking Holy Water brought some improvement to his condition, the Imperial House had always lost whenever conflict arose with the Temple—without exception.
But now they could cure him completely?
“Nonsense.”
Despite having exhausted every possible remedy, Demian had continued to behave as though becoming a different person each day.
And now, at the mere appearance of one saint, all of it simply vanishes? Preposterous.
‘I don’t trust the Pope.’
Behind that naive face, he was surely preparing to wring the Imperial House dry.
It had always been that way.
Gaitel raised her hand and swept it once through the air, and Blade vanished before her eyes in an instant.
“I need to see whether this child can truly save my brother.”
And if it proves true,
“Then I’ll find a way to use her.”
* * *
“You look absolutely adorable!”
The girl in the mirror looked very different from before.
Though her cheeks remained hollow and her frame thin, she looked like a princess in a white lace-trimmed dress.
When I gathered her silver hair into two pigtails, those around us even broke into applause.
“Thank you so much…….”
I still wasn’t used to praise of this sort. I brushed it off vaguely.
I didn’t like how my face turned red as a tomato.
These were surely hollow compliments, and I hated that I reacted to each one as though they were sincere.
Though I’d grown somewhat familiar with the Temple’s layout, the Pope wanted me to walk twice daily.
He said it was a process of showing my face to the priests, affirming the birth of the saint anew.
‘Status Window.’
Name: Diane Irene / Age 5
Status: Fourth Generation Saint
Good Deeds Gauge: 27 / 1000
Fear Meter: 0/100
Inventory: Vision Protection Glasses (rechargeable)
Active Quests
[Sub-Mission] (Children) 20%
―[Hidden] Try calling the Pope “Father”
The sub-mission gauge had risen by barely seven percent from where it started. I thrust out my lower lip.
“Saint, please have this!”
Becky handed me a glass of milk, steam rising gently from its surface. She was the priestess who cared for me most. As I took the warm glass, its heat transferred to my hands.
“You must drink plenty of milk so you’ll grow tall.”
Ever since I’d seen Camilla’s body, the priestesses in particular had been trying to look after me.
I’d blamed my sleepwalking, and now holy knights were even posted outside my room before bed.
As I sipped the milk, Becky wiped the traces from around my mouth and smiled softly.
“I have a younger sister just like you, you see. That’s why I think of her whenever I see you.”
“How old is your sister?”
“She’s eight. But…”
Becky’s expression suddenly darkened.
“What’s wrong?”
“She’s been a bit ill. But she’ll get better.”
She added that the most skilled doctor in the village was treating her.
But wasn’t I a saint?
“Bring her by sometime! I can take a look at her.”
“Th-thank you so much!”
Watching Becky break into a bright smile, my own heart grew warm and fuzzy.
I’d never given much thought to using my abilities for others, but thinking of using them for people I cared about felt different somehow.
And I’d heard that soon I’d need to perform Blessing Ceremonies for the people.
Once a month or so I’d go to the Plaza to pray for the masses, and twice a week I’d work in the private chapel for those in desperate need.
‘Of course I should.’
I still hadn’t forgotten the shocking world outside from when I first came here.
All of it had happened because a saint hadn’t been born.
‘I feel guilty about it, though.’
I hated this feeling.
I set down the warm glass and pushed myself up from the chair with a grunt.
As I toddled through the Temple on short legs, every priestess I passed bowed their head to me.
When I returned their greeting, they all hurried a few steps away and whispered among themselves.
Being looked down on for my common birth was something I was used to.
As I grew accustomed to the Pope’s and Becky’s kindness, I was dimly aware that the pain I might eventually suffer could only grow deeper.
‘Don’t let yourself get hurt.’
Don’t hope for anything.
What was nice about being here, though, was that ghosts didn’t exist.
‘Strangely enough, Cheese is fine.’
Maybe because he bore me no ill will? Or because I’d lowered my guard?
Either way, it wasn’t so bad having someone on my side.
Cheese appeared only when I called him, and most of the time I had no idea where he went.
‘Where’s he gone this time?’
Sometimes when I couldn’t see him, I’d feel a pang of longing—and that was exactly what I felt now.
In any case, behind the open spaces of the Temple that anyone could access, there were separate areas for authorized personnel only.
I personally preferred the back areas. No one would scold me for running around freely,
‘And besides, they hadn’t yet publicly announced that a saint had descended.’
When would they tell everyone?
Lost in thought as I walked, the Temple’s Secret Garden appeared before me.
It wasn’t really secret at all, but since only a few authorized personnel could enter and it was beautifully maintained, I’d given it that name on a whim.
That’s when I heard a rustling sound.
‘…!’
There should be no one here, but who was it? I followed the sound.
Despite the winter, bright brown hair flickered among flowers maintained in splendid bloom by Sacred Power.
“Who are you?”
“Eek…!”
Even though I’d spoken softly, the girl startled violently and tumbled backward with a loud thud.
She was younger than me, though taller. From her clean, unwrinkled clothes unmarked by dust, she appeared to be of noble birth.
“Are… are you all right?”
“Ah… yes.”
The girl, who had been hesitating, blushed and murmured her response.
“It’s all right.”
Though her palm was scraped raw, embarrassment seemed to outweigh the pain—the way she scrambled to her feet was almost heartbreaking.
Yet wouldn’t a noblewoman typically travel with at least one or two guards?
But my guard had slipped; I’d failed to notice the unusual quiet that surrounded us.
Well, she was far too beautiful to warrant suspicion.
Such large, distinct features arranged so harmoniously on that delicate face—it was enough to make one feel outmatched.
‘If she were any larger, it would be dangerous.’
When her expression turned serious, she radiated an aura so imposing I couldn’t bring myself to approach.
“I’m worried I may have upset you instead.”
The way she smiled sheepishly revealed those captivating eyes that crinkled at the corners.
‘Definitely has the look of a cat,’ I thought.
With that quick assessment made, I offered her my hand.
“Oh, it’s dirty.”
“It’s fine.”
After a moment’s deliberation, she placed her hand in mine. Sure enough, a small bead of blood welled at the wound.
I brushed away the dirt with a few light taps, then blew gently on it. The girl’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
That was when it happened.
“……!”
Closing my eyes and focusing on my Sacred Power, a tender stream of energy flowed into her wound.
For the first time, I was wielding this power not for a Quest, but purely of my own volition.
“Are you… a Holy Maiden?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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